


Pretenses

by Wind_Writes



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Drug Addiction, Drug Use, Drugs, F/M, Family Drama, Family Dynamics, High School, References to Drugs, Romance, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-10-03 16:18:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17287370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wind_Writes/pseuds/Wind_Writes
Summary: Family life can be a train wreck, but pretenses make it possible to keep people from finding out just how messy it can be. You have worked painstakingly to make sure the drama that surrounds your home life is kept away from everyone, but what happens when Sweet Pea finds a way to push past everything.





	1. Chapter 1

Mondays were always a busy day at the courthouse, all of the arrests from the weekend had their bail hearings scheduled so parking had a tendency to be tight. Snagging a spot a few blocks down from the main door you climbed out of the old crown vic and made your way to the courthouse. You had to laugh a little in irony, you were driving an old police car you’d picked up at auction and now you were headed into a bail hearing to hopefully bring home a criminal.

You’d gotten the call late Friday night, the collect call line from the Riverdale Police Department flashed across your screen and you knew it could only be one person. Everyone had been at the Wyrm to let loose after a long week, Sweet Pea and Fangs hustling a few games of pool while Toni slug beers and you, Jughead, Cheryl and Betty had gotten comfortable on a few of the couches watching the boys and keeping the conversation lite; the night had been going so smoothly up until that point and then reality had come down and ruined it for you.

You hadn’t really been surprised when the call came in, more surprised actually that it hadn’t come in sooner. He’d been out about thirty days and had secured a job at the grocery store stocking shelves, but you knew it wouldn’t last long. He wasn’t one to want to work hard for his money and it was only a matter of time that he went back to his old ways.

Dropping your bag onto the conveyor you walked through the metal detector, the routine of this almost second nature to you. “What are the charges this time”, the security guard that always had a smile for you asked.

“He said DUI on the phone but we’ll see when I get in there.”

Nodding solemnly, he patted your shoulder in a show of support  “Good luck honey. You hang in there”.

Sending him a small smile you grabbed your bag and made your way to the courtroom. The halls were busy with activity, district attorneys and detectives idly chattering amongst themselves, witnesses collecting themselves before they took the stand, a few defendants out on bail standing with their layers; nodding to a few of the public defenders you’d met over the years as you passed in the hall, you found your way into the assigned room. It always surprised you how long some of them lasted in the line of work, if you were them you would have given up years ago and found something less depressing to do. After all who were they helping? Except for the few that just were in the wrong place at the wrong time most of the people they defended deserved what was coming to them in some way.

A few patrons were already in the room as you took a seat at the back of the defendants side; there were faces you recognized, their story the same as yours while others you could tell were new to the system based on the anxiety that covered their features. You imagined you had a similar look the first few times you had to sit through a first appearance hearing, but time had hardened you a bit. Your heart went out to them and hoped that whoever they were there for would clean up and not put them through it again, there had to be people out there who learned from their mistakes.

The faint sound of buzzing coming from your bag interrupted your musing, screen lighting up with a text from Sweet Pea. ‘Class starts in 10. Where are you’

‘Something came up. I’ll be late. See you at lunch.’ Turning your phone off you slipped it back into your bag, the clock above the bench showing the judge should be coming in any minute.

You didn’t have the guts to let anyone know what was going on, embarassed that this was your reality. Everyone knew that you lived with your older brother but anything more than that you had kept to yourself. You made every effort to keep people in the dark about your situation, hoping the quaint little house on the Northside with the pristine flower beds and perfectly green lawn would be enough to maintain the facade of a normal life.

Betty had been the only one of the group who had ever met your parents, having been friends since your Daisy days in kindergarten, but the rest had no inkling that it was anything but normal for your house to be empty. You’d painted the picture that your brother worked long hours and traveled out of town and most bought it; if Betty ever questioned anything, she’d never said it to your face and you appreciated that.

The side door of the courtroom swung open, a line of arrestees following behind the officer to take their seat. Some were still wearing their street clothes while others sported the orange jumpsuit provided by the jail. Eyes scanning the line of men and women you locked eyes with your brother as he took his seat between two men that looked to be in a similar state as him. Bags under his eyes you could see his hands shake slightly as he ran them through his disheveled hair, he sent a faint smile your way before focusing on the bailiff as he announced the judge’s entrance.

It was a long drawn out process, your brother’s case not being called till close to the end; the charges included a DUI, possession with intent and fleeing from police. The public defender had convinced the judge that your brother wasn’t a flight risk or a danger to the community, even though he was a repeat offender bail had been granted.

“I’ll call Lonnie and see what he can do”, squeezing your brother’s hand you gave him a hopeful smile. He may be a complete fuck up but you only had each other so it was your job to take care of him.

“Thanks”, a smile not reaching his eyes ghosted his features before he was led away.

Watching till he was out of the courtroom you grabbed your bag, reaching in for your phone to call the bail bondsmen as you made your way back to the car. Lonnie had always posted for your brother before so here was hoping he’d be generous and help you out again.

“Hey kiddo- what’s the word”, his signature southern drawl coming across the line.

“How did you know it was me?” Surprise evident in your voice when he answered like he knew who was calling, “Do you have me saved in your phone?”

“Listed under Jo March”

“Why Jo March”

“Because she’s an impulsive and argumentative woman. And does anything for her family. Which, I’m assuming is why you’re calling me. What’d he do.”

You couldn’t help but stifle a giggle, Lonnie would name people in his phone after literary characters. There was also no fooling him, he’d been in the business too long and helped you out to many times. “DUI and possession with intent. Because he has priors and still on probation bail was set at $10,000. Can you help?”

Lonnie went silent for a moment, the sound of paper rustling across a desk the only sound. “Of course. Can you cover the 15%?”

“I should be able to.” It would drain the majority of your saved tip money and you’d be begging Pop for more shifts during the week to pay the bills, but it was doable. You didn’t have an option, you had to make it work.

“Alright. Swing by after school and we’ll get the paperwork done.”

“I can swing over now, I’m still at the courthouse.”

“No. Get your ass back to Riverdale High. School first. The paperwork can wait”, the tone in his voice offered no room for argument.

“Fine. I’ll see you about 4:00.”

“Sounds good. Catch you in a bit kid.” The line went dead on the other end just as you reached your car. Maybe your brother wasn’t the only one you had… you supposed Lonnie was part of this messed up family too.

The lunch bell was just ringing as you made your way into school, groups of students deserting classrooms in lieu of the cafeteria made it easy enough to slip in unnoticed by the office staff. You had decided to swing by the house after leaving court to get the $1500 you owed Lonnie and grab a change of clothes for your brother; you figured it would cut your running around time after class and maybe mean your brother would be out before dark.

The $1500 had turned out to be a bigger deal than you originally had thought, the money you assumed your brother had been adding to the funds from his job at the store had never made it into the can.

Right after school you planned on swinging by the diner to see if Pop had extra shifts open this week, hopefully some would open up and you could get a jump on earning the extra cash. If you were able to pay everything timely this month it would be a miracle.

“Any particular reason why you’re just staring at an open locker?” Sweet Pea’s baritone voice startling you out of your worrying.

“Uh… no. Just trying to remember what I need for class”. Grabbing a few books and a notepad you slammed the door and turned towards the cafeteria, Sweet Pea’s leasurily gate keeping pace with yours.

“What was so important that you had to skip class to get it done?” Curious dark eyes watched as you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear.

“An appointment”, not a lie but not the full truth. Vague answers and half truths always worked with most of the group, but with Sweet Pea all bets were off; the dark haired boy seemed to see through your shield and it tended to make you nervous.

The relationship between the two of you was convoluted; you had fallen into a testy friendship when Southside merged with Riverdale, the two of you spending more time goading each other than getting along. At some point that testy friendship evolved and now it sat somewhere between genuine friend and person I care about more than I should. While the two of you had gotten cozy since the school merge, you weren’t willing to let him get too close and he seemed to be of the same mind.

The side eye Sweet Pea sent your way told you he wasn’t believing you for a second, but he left it alone.

You found everyone at the regular table, Toni, Cheryl and Betty on one side while Fangs and Jughead took up space on the other. Sliding in next to Betty you dumped your bag on the floor, Sweet Pea straddling the bench opposite of you so he could talk to Jughead and Fangs.

“I was wondering where you had gone off to this morning. Everything ok?” Betty’s concerned look had you feeling guilty for not letting her know you were going to be running late.

“Yeah. Everything is fine. Just had an appointment.” Mustering the best smile you could to put her at ease you stole a fry from her plate before turning your attention to the rest of the table. Toni and Cheryl were planning to throw a party at Thornhill and Jughead was rambling on about the most recent disaster that was some movie he saw.

You tuned out the chatter of the table as you began to figure out a plan for your brother. Your biggest concern was making sure he stayed clean and stayed home once he got released; you weren’t sure what kind of drug ring he’d gotten himself wrapped up in, but they’d be trying to pull him back as soon as they got word he was out. Sweet Pea snapping his fingers in front of your face brought you back to the present, previously unaware he’d been watching you or that the table had been talking to you. 

Bring yourself back to the present you realized six sets of eyes on you, “What?”

“I asked if you were going to make the party”, Cheryl’s perturbed tone making you bristle. 

“Uh… I don’t know. Maybe. I have to see what my schedule is as Pop’s.” Rubbing your temple you gave her a small smile before you brought your eyes to meet Sweet Pea’s calculating ones. 

“Are your alright?” Sweet Pea held your stare, his dark eyes looking for some sort of clue as to what was going on in your head.

“I’m fine”, voice coming across more strained than you’d originally intended.

“You don’t look fine”, Sweet Pea’s tone a matter of fact. He had always been able to read you like an open book and today was no different.

The table watched the interaction between the two of you, tension crawling in like a late fall fog.

You weren’t sure if it was just the stress of the day or if it just annoyed you that Sweet Pea could see through your bullshit, but your patience for the situation ran out. 

“Then stop looking”, the words almost inaudible through your clenched teeth. Grabbing your bag, you shot Sweet Pea one last hard look before rising  from the table and heading towards the door. Betty’s call for you silenced by the rest of the noise in the cafeteria.


	2. Chapter 2

“Betty, you’re staring again,” shifting uncomfortably in your chair you tried your best to ignore her. The girls had been hovering most of the afternoon, Cheryl and Toni tag teamed in World History and now Betty in Chemistry; while you appreciated their concern, it was starting to grate on your nerves. They were just trying to be good friends and only meant well, but sometimes you wished people would care a little less.

“I’ll stop staring when you tell me what the hell that was all about at lunch”, her attempt at a quiet whisper failing as a few of the students turned in their seats to look back at you.

Pinning them with a cold stare till they turned around, you directed your focus back to your chemistry notes. “I told you, it was nothing. Sweet Pea just gets under my skin sometimes.”

Glancing quickly to the front to make sure your teacher was still preoccupied with the lesson, you peeked at the blonde through your bangs. The look she gave you was skeptical; she knew what happened back in the lunch room wasn’t just Sweet Pea irritating you, but without any context she couldn’t push the issue.

“Seriously Betty. It’s nothing. I’m just a little…. stressed is all.”

“Is it all stemming from that appointment you had this morning? Is something wrong? Are you sick? Is your brother ok?” Her voice seemed to rise an octave at the thought, her green eyes filling with alarm.

This was why you kept everything under wraps, one little hint that something wasn’t one hundred percent ok and people went into panic mode. “Betty nothing is wrong. Danny is fine, just been working a lot of hours and haven’t seen him much.” Your stomach clenched at your own words, it was true that you hadn’t seen your brother much and that he was putting in a lot of hours, but it wasn’t at any law-abiding job.

“And I’m picking up some more shifts at Pops. Trying to save all I can so I can travel a little this summer. The extra hours are just adding a little more pressure, that’s all. Once I get used to it, everything will be good.” Squeezing your friend’s hand, you tried to give her your most reassuring smile.

Placated for now, Betty gave you her own soft smile before turning back to the Chemistry notes. She knew you could only be pushed so far until completely shutting the conversation down; class was not the place to poke the fire, but she wasn’t giving up.

You let a small sigh of relief escape, hoping this was the end of the conversation around where you were this morning. There were more pressing matters going on in Riverdale than your shit show and they didn’t need to be burdened with the extra weight. Someone has told you once that everyone has their own problems to deal with so don’t trouble them with yours… it was advice that you never forgot.

You could see Sweet Pea leaning up against the door of your crown vic as you made your way through the parking lot, his tall build easy to spot over the bustling of students. You really weren’t up for dealing with him right now, wanting to just get to Lonnie’s office and get your brother picked up.

“Sweet Pea… to what do I owe the pleasure”, stepping around him to open the door you let out an exasperated sigh when he didn’t budge.

“Did I ever tell you I find it really weird that you drive around in an old police car.” He looked down at you with humor in his eyes and a boyish grin on his face, the tiff from earlier seemingly forgotten.

“Only a hundred times.” Tugging on the door handle again in emphasis you hit him with a less than impressed look. “Do you mind? I’ve got to meet a friend.”

“Not at all babe.” Sliding the length of the door he didn’t stop until his hip met your outstretched hand. “Anyone I know?”

His comment had you pausing for a moment in hesitation, he probably did know Lonnie; Riverdale was a small town and it wasn’t like it was bursting at the seams with bail bondsmen. With all the trouble the Serpents had found themselves in, it wouldn’t be unheard of for the two of them to cross paths. You trusted the Lonnie kept his client business quiet, but you’d have to keep an eye out when you were down there. You weren’t a fixture at the Wyrm, but enough of the Serpents knew who you were, and it wouldn’t take much for them to get talking about a Northsider in a bond office.

Hands on your hips you couldn’t help but roll your eyes at the taller boy, “What is with you today? You’re awfully interested in my comings and goings.”

Boyish grin still on his lips Sweet Pea tucked your hair behind your ear, calloused finger brushing against your cheek before tucking his hand back into his pocket. “I’m always interested in your comings and goings. And after your morning skip routine now you’ve peaked my interest. Never took you for a rebel.”

You couldn’t help but soften a little at his touch; Sweet Pea talked a good game and owned up to the image he portrayed, but there was something gentle in him that seemed to come out now and again and you had never been able to resist it.

Scanning the parking lot, you watched as students continued to mingle around their cars. Everyone was always in such a rush to get out of the building but no one seemed to be too rushed to get home. You couldn’t bring yourself to look at Sweet Pea, afraid he’d start up again like he had at lunch. “I had an appointment… I wasn’t skipping.”

“Sure you did….” Tone still lite Sweet Pea straightened against the car, his large hand grasping your chin and forcing you to look at him. “Lying isn’t a becoming trait for someone like you”, the look in his dark eyes telling you he was onto your attempt to hide something.

Your features flushed, both from his proximity and from the fact he called out your lie. “Are you going to let me get in my car?” Voice soft you looked back at him, there was no point in denying his statement since it rang true, but that didn’t mean you had to acknowledge it either.

Sweet Pea watched you for a moment more, his curious gaze scanning your features before releasing you and stepping away from the door. Seemingly to make an internal decision, he nodded to himself as the flirty easy-going demeanor returned in place of the more serious mood that had passed between the two of you. “I’ll see ya tomorrow babe…”, sending one last grin he turned on his heel and headed towards the collection of bikes in the back on the lot.

You watched as Sweet Pea walked away, the two-headed serpent on his back looking at you almost mockingly. Something about his abrupt change in mood didn’t sit well; he’d left too easily after being far too interested in your whereabouts earlier in the day. Throwing your bag into the passenger seat you settled behind the wheel as the dark-haired boy was greeted with enthusiasm by the other Serpents; you had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn’t going to let sleeping dogs lie.

Sweet Pea noted as you pulled out of the lot that you headed in the opposite direction of your house, “She’s hiding something”.

“Dude, you’re being overly suspicious of something we did all the time. Stop worrying about it. She missed a few classes- probably had a dentist appointment or something. It’s no big deal”, Fang’s lack of concern had Sweet Pea tensing. Maybe he was being paranoid about the whole thing, who hadn’t skipped a few classes now and again. It wasn’t really his place to worry anyways, boyfriends worry about shit like this not friends. And that’s what you were…. just friends.

“When Betty asked her about lunch today in Chemistry she just blamed it on stress, but Betty isn’t totally buying it.”

Jughead’s words had Sweet Pea turning, “What does she think is going on?”

The beanie wearing boy shrugged as he popped another Cheeto in his mouth, “Betty thinks it has something to do with her brother. He hadn’t been around for a while, supposedly traveling for work. But then a few weeks ago she could have sworn he was stocking shelves at the grocery store; she did a double take and he was gone so she thought maybe it was just someone who looked like him. The girls study pretty regularly together and Betty hasn’t seen even a glimpse of him in the last few months. His stuff is still around but not him.”

“I don’t think work trips last months. That seems a little extreme, especially for what? A middle of the tier salesman?” Fang’s comcerns echoing Sweet Pea’s own.

“That’s what Betty was wondering. Something in the whole situation isn’t sitting kosher.”

Sweet Pea gave an absent nod, dark eyes looking back where your car had left. There was more going on below the surface than what you were letting on and trouble could never stay hidden for long.

Lonnie’s office was just on the south side of the tracts, an old brick building that had seen better days but stood tall throughout the unrest. Parking in front of the building you took a survey; the streets were quiet, except for a few smokers outside an auto shop there didn’t seem to be much activity today. A bell above the door jingled as you let yourself in, the faint sound of country music coming from an office in the back. You scanned the wanted posters tacked to the cork board behind an empty reception desk; there was a similar look about all the people who stared back at you, defeat.

This world your brother had found himself in was a dead end, the look in the eyes of the people in the posters was the same look you saw in your brothers at court this morning. He was spiraling and you weren’t sure how you were going to stop it.

Heavy footsteps down the hall had you turning, Lonnie sending you a smile as he shuffled the paper around on the reception desk. Lonnie Heggam was a big man, over six foot tall and built like a brick shithouse, he carried a demanding presence about him; thick brown hair and a handlebar mustache only aided his take no prisoners look. You had no doubt that being on the wrong side of the big man would not end well for a jumper, but he only had the best of intentions when it came to you.

“Just the lady I wanted to see,” following him across the room the two of you settled on the worn leather couch, the bond papers laid out on the table in front of you. “I made a call after I talked to you this morning, they kept him in a holding cell at the station so you didn’t have to drive all the way down to county to pick him up.”

“Thanks, appreciate that.” Reaching into your bag you pulled out the roll of cash and put it on the coffee table, the anxiety in your stomach fluttering when you let yourself think about the consequences of that roll. The two of you would go through the same routine as before, Lonnie would argue about taking the money and you’d tell him you weren’t a charity case and could pay like everyone else.

You watched as his blue eyes skirted from the paper in front of him to the cash and back again, his large shoulders tensing before he settled back against the couch and looked down at you.

“Take the cash, Lonnie. Danny’s fuck ups are my problem not yours.”

“They shouldn’t be your problems, you’re just a kid. You’re supposed to be worried about your next history test and what boy has a crush on you, not about how you’re going to get your crack dealing brother out of jail for the umpteenth time.”

Pulling the bond agreement out of his grasp you signed on the dotted line, securing your brother’s release and potentially forfeiting two months’ worth of bill money if he jumps. “Who says I don’t worry about those things too?” A soft smile on your lips you gave his large hand a squeeze as you got up from the couch and turned toward the door.

“You can’t carry this all on your own, kiddo.”

Lonnie’s words had you halting and turning back, his blue eyes clouded in concern. He was the closest thing you had to a parental figure, his worry for you exceeding the responsibility of normal business dealings. “I can’t just wait around to see if he gets himself killed. I have to try to help. If I can just get him clean things will start to head in the right direction.” Tears pricked at your eyes, if you failed Danny then there would be no one left; it was hard enough to bury your parents… you didn’t want to bury a brother too.

You could feel Lonnie standing in front of you, his large arms pulling you into a hug. “Don’t worry, we’ll get the situation fixed.”

The smell of cigarettes and Stetson invaded your senses; there was just something about him that settled your nerves, the scent that was uniquely him curbing the anxieties and tears that threatened to spill. Placing a chaste kiss on top of your head he walked you towards the door, “I’ll swing by the house in a couple of days and check in. Keep him off the drugs and booze- if he’s caught using bail gets revoked. And no traveling.”

Rolling your eyes like the teenager he expected you to be you made your way out the door, “I know the rules Lonnie.”

“That’s my girl”, humor in his voice he gave you a wave, blue eyes watching till your car disappeared from site.

The sun was just setting as you pulled up to the station, officers coming off their day shift were heading home to their families while the night shift was just coming on. You stared at the intimidating brick through your windshield, brick on top of brick built to look more like a fortress than a police station in your opinion. Parking a few blocks down you backtracked towards the front of the building, the street lights just clicking on as you pulled open the front doors.

There was an eerie silence in the hall, the occasional echo of a ringing phone or slamming door the only sound in the building. A young officer sat at the entrance desk, his dedication to the cell phone game showing how much activity was going on in Riverdale tonight.

“I’m here to pick up someone out on bail”

“You must be here to pick up Danny”, finally looking up from his phone the young officer looked you over. He seemed to enjoy the assessment until he met your cold stare, a blush rising in his cheeks when he realized he was caught.

“I am. Can you please have him released so we can go home.”

Giving you a curt nod he scurried down the hall, the slamming of another door echoed down the corridor.

Scuffling in the hallway drew your attention from the memory wall you’d been reading to see your brother making his way towards you, the young officer not trailing far behind.

“Danny!” Wrapping your arms around his neck when he was within reach you held on tight, afraid if you let go he might disappear. Pulling back you took him in, disheveled hair and bags under his eyes you could tell that he hadn’t been sleeping. The slight tremors in his hands when he hugged you back meant he was going through withdrawal and the next few days were going to be rough. “You ready to get out of here?”

“Hey Queenie. Thanks for coming to get me.” The use of your family nickname had your heart skipping a beat, he hadn’t called you that in months and it broke you a little to hear is come across his lips.

“Come on, we’ll swing by Pop’s and get an order to go. I bet you’re starving for some real food”

“You have no idea”, a smile ghosted across his features, eyes alight at the idea of food that wasn’t served in a cafeteria tray. Leading the way back into the cool evening, you held the door for another patron coming in before following your brother out, not registering who passed by you. You had your brother back for the time being and you were going to make the best of it.

Kevin Keller had to do a double take as he walked through the door, not because of the strung out junkie that walked by him but because of the girl that was with him.


	3. Chapter 3

The sound of a flushing toilet had your head turning to look at the clock, three times in the last two hours. Danny had spent most of the night on the bathroom floor, the withdrawals wreaking havoc on his system. You had sat up with him till about two, rubbing his back while he lost what was left of his dinner from Pop’s and talking about nonsense as the shakes and cold sweats consumed him. You had tried to get him back to his room, insisting that the mattress would be more comfortable than the cold tile and shag bathmat, but he wasn’t having any of it; bringing him a blanket and a pillow you finally retreated to your room in an attempt to get some sleep.

The attempt had been futile, every time he’d flush the toilet or run the water you’d be wide awake again and listening. Watching him go through this never got any easier, but at least you knew there was light at the end of the tunnel. He’d have the shakes for a while after, the caffeine intake would go up tenfold and he’d be easy to set off, but he’d be clean and sober and that was worth the headache.

It was hard to remember a time where this wasn’t the normal, a time where you had lived up to the idea of the all-American family. You and Danny were almost ten years apart, by the time you came around he was already a budding pre-teen. He had been an unplanned accident when your parents had been freshman in college; both families had encouraged them to put the baby up for adoption, but they had refused. They’d gone through a hard time, struggled significantly at their young age trying to raise a baby and go to school, but they had persevered despite it all. Your father had become an engineer and your mother a teacher, between the two of them they built what most would assume was the perfect home. You could remember as a small child Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas mornings filled with laughter and music, summer vacations on a beach and giant cookouts on the 4th of July. Despite Danny being ten years older there was a time where he had been the big brother every girl wanted

You could also remember the first time you met Lonnie. You had been about ten, it was late spring, and an early evening rain had just started as your mom loaded you up in the car and headed towards the south side. She had cried most of the ride over, your father opting to stay at home. They had been fighting before your mom had left, your father had been furious that she was going to waste good money on a lost cause; it was one of the few times you could remember your parents arguing in front of you.

Lonnie’s office had been in the same old brick building, the color a little less faded and the furniture in the lobby a little newer. He had scared you that first time, only able to con you out from behind your mother’s legs with a Twix bar he’d pulled from a desk. He’d been nice to your mother, patient with her tears and reassuring that the situation could be fixed. It wouldn’t be too many years later that you’d find yourself in the exact situation all over again, only alone this time; Lonnie calmed your tears with a candy bar and ensured that the situation could be fixed, it was amazing how many times he’s said that since.

The heavy sound of Danny’s staggering walk had you coming back to the present, the slamming of a door told you he’d finally retreated to his room; after a long sleepless night you were hoping he’d crash hard most of the day and not feel up to adventuring out of the house. Eventually the two of you would have to sit down and hash out what the hell happened last Friday and what the plan was going forward, but for now you’d let it be.

The numbers on the alarm clock read half past five, dragging yourself from the warmth of the comforter you hauled yourself to the bathroom. It was pointless to try and get anymore sleep, it’d been eluding you for the past two hours, and you might as well take advantage of the free bathroom while you can.

“It was just someone who looked like her. She has no reason to be at the sheriff station. You’ve got to be mistaken.”

“Come on Betty, give me more credit than that. I know what I saw,” the look Kevin gave the blonde daring her to say different.

“Any idea who she was with?” Toni’s concern breaking the tension between the two. If there was one thing Toni was sure of it was that you walked the straight and narrow; she’d never seen you take a drink at the Wyrm, smoke a cigarette, take a hit off a joint or even be out past curfew. You were the epitome of the perfect girl next door, bailing a junkie out of jail was just too far out of character for you.

”I couldn’t say. Who ever it was looked pretty strung out, but definitely older than us. Been out of high school a long time.” Kevin turned in his chair to look at the rest of the group. The student lounge was abnormally empty for the morning, only a loner or two sitting at a back table while the group took over most of the sitting area.

“Involved with a troubled older man… sounds very Suburban Girl.” Tossing her bright red hair over her shoulder, Cheryl settled closer to Toni. “Maybe this is just her way of rebelling. After all, she has been straight laced her whole life. Every girl needs to let go now and again.”

Sweet Pea’s fists clenched at his side, body tensing slightly in his chair at Cheryl’s words. The man was a user, he was sure of it; taking advantage of an innocent just to get his rocks off and bail him out of jail. Sweet Pea wasn’t going to let you go down this path if what Cheryl suggested was true; he would never let any of his friends follow this route , but especially a friend who plagued his thoughts more than he wanted to admit.

“Are we sure it’s not something a little less clandesdine? Maybe it’s just a friend she is helping out.” Jughead’s words breaking through Sweet Pea’s thoughts.

“It does seem a little extreme to think she’d be that deep in with someone living that lifestyle”, Fang’s words directed at the whole group but his coffee colored eyes focused on Sweet Pea as if he knew where his friend’s thoughts were going.

Sweet Pea relaxed a fraction in his chair, the argument Jughead and Fangs made held water. Involving yourself with someone like that was not in your play book and opening yourself up to more was not in your nature. He’d watched you keep everyone at arm’s length since he started at Riverdale; your easy smiles, teasing jokes and polished look was all anyone ever saw, there was no way you’d let yourself fall into a mess like that.

“It would explain all the sneaking around she did yesterday. And explain why she just kept brushing us off when we asked, she doesn’t want us to know,” Betty seemingly ignored Jughead’s point and latched onto Cheryl’s with both hands. The hurt in her tone was evident, the two of you had been friends forever and yet you were not willing to let her in on your secrets.

“She’ll tell us when she is ready to”, Sweet Pea’s own words surprising himself as the rest of the group looked at him. It wasn’t like him to weigh in on subjects like this, more inclined to keep his opinions to himself unless it involved Serpent business.

“Who will tell you what when they’re ready?” Sweet Pea’s back straightened at your words, wondering how much of the conversation you had heard.

Grabbing a spot on the armrest of his chair you looked at the group, their gazes focused everywhere but on you. “What’d I miss?”

The group sat in silence for a minute, everyone looking around at each other before Cheryl let out an irritated sigh, “Keller here says he saw you flouncing out of the Sheriff Station last night with a much older man.” Her red lips pursed as she studied you, “From the sounds of it he wasn’t the most princely looking of men.”  

You could feel the color drain from your face as six sets of eyes watched you, back stiffening at the fear of what they could possibly know. Toying with the keys in your pocket you focused a calculating gaze on Kevin, “He did huh?” Kevin shrunk back behind Betty, a little ashamed for getting caught outing you.

“What were you doing at the Sheriff’s Station?” Betty’s words drawing your attention. Her pale green eyes held yours, frustration and disappointment reflecting back at you.

“I was asked to help out a friend,” you shrugged in indifference. If you could play it off as nothing hopefully they wouldn’t turn it into a big deal.

“You regularly make friends with people who need to be bailed out of jail?” Sweet Pea said from beside you.

“Present company excluded I assume?” Irritation sat heavily in your eyes, tone more defensive than intended. You could see Fangs flinch a little at your words and heard Jughead release a heavy sigh; Sweet Pea’s cold eyes looked back at you, anger flashing across his features at your words. You hadn’t meant to say them, the shock and frustration of being spotted last night overrunning your brain’s ability to think before you speak.  

Running a hand through the soft waves of you hair you focused on the table in the center of the group, “He was a friend of the family. Danny asked me to pick him up. I didn’t bail anyone out… I was just pick up and delivery.” You scanned the group in front of you, the looks they passed between each other skeptical. “I swear to god that it’s. Nothing more.” Hands up in defence you shot a pleading look at your friends, just needing them to believe this and move on.

“Cheryl suggested…” Toni’s brows raised suggestively at you, a teasing grin spreading across her face.

“For the love of god, Cheryl. I am not sleeping with an older man!” Your exclamation seeming to break the tension in the room; soft chuckles and smiles spread through the group, the agitation radiating off of Sweet Pea seeming to dissipate a bit. You gave the dark haired boy an apologetic smile, you were truly sorry for the words you’d said; you didn’t want your thoughtless words hanging between the two of you the rest of the day. His large hand gave your thigh a quick pat, apology seemingly accepted for now.

“Is this what you didn’t want us to know about yesterday? You know we wouldn’t have cared.” The tone in Betty’s voice taking on a lighter tone with the change of atmosphere.

The first warning bell signaled the start of school; shrugging your shoulders you rose from your spot on the armrest and started to make your way out to the hall, acting as if you hadn’t heard Betty’s question. Saved by the bell.

The dinner rush had long gone from Pop’s, a few stragglers just off shift work finishing up a late meal before they made their way back home were the only people left. You had talked to Pop last night when you picked up dinner about taking on a few extra shifts, willing to take anything before or after school he could give you. He’d been hesitant, not wanting to interfere with your schooling, but in the end relenting since a number of the staff had left his employment after the blackhood incident.

“I’m taking a smoke break,” turning towards the kitchen window you nodded as Ben excused himself. You’d done pretty well in tips during the dinner rush, surprised how many people ate out on the weeknights. Pop’s food was great and sometimes a chocolate milkshake was all a girl needed to make her day better, but home cooked meals had always been your preference. You supposed that was one advantage to living alone most of the time, meal freedom.

Cashing out the last of your customers you began bussing the tables, the long part of the night getting ready to settle in. Late night weekend shifts never bothered you, the steady flow of diners throughout the night keeping the shift lively and pretty entertaining once the bar’s began to empty, but on a Tuesday it was a safe bet the bar crowd would be few and far between. Your relief would be in at one, if you hurried home you’d be able to sneak in about five hours of sleep before having to get ready for school.

You hadn’t been able to grab more than a cat nap after school, homework taking up most of your time. Last nights lack of sleep was starting to catch up with you, the foundation not doing its job of covering up the dark circles you’d found under your eyes. Letting out a quick yawn you turned as the bell of the door jingled, “Grab a seat, I’ll be right with you.” The surprised look on your face at the person who walked in mirroring the one of the tall dark haired Serpent as he walked through the door.

“Since when do you work the late night shift during the week”, Sweet Pea questioned as he made himself comfortable on one of the counter stools.

“Since when do you visit diners at midnight on a Tuesday” you countered as you took the dirty dishes into the back to be washed.

“I just finished up some Serpent work. Got a craving for a burger.” he said as you pulled up a chair and settled down across from him.

The slamming of the back door told you Ben had returned to his station; “Burger and fries” you yelled at him through the window, his grumbling about using a ticket lost in the sound of a sizzling patty. “Need anything to drink?”

“Just water.” Curious dark eyes watched as you carted back a water for him and a cup of coffee for yourself. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Pop needed help covering some shifts, I volunteered”. Looking over the rim of the chipped coffee cup you watched Sweet Pea as he seemed to digest your words. “It’s not like I have much going on” you offered, and in a way it was true. You weren’t involved in any extracurriculars and staying at home every night only made you antsy so more hours at Pop’s seemed more than logical.

The two of you sat in silence for a moment, Sweet Pea watching while you idly twirled a spoon around in your coffee. “I’m sorry about what I said this morning in the lounge. I didn’t mean it.”

“It’s alright”

“No it’s not alright. I shouldn’t have said it. It was rude and…” you were cut off when his hand stilled yours on top of the cup.

“Ok it’s not alright. But I forgive you. Fair enough?”

Looking up from your coffee you were met with the soft brown eyes you didn’t get to see nearly enough. “Fair enough”, a small smile on your lips; you and Sweet Pea always seemed to be on uneven ground with each other, but you didn’t want to upset what little balance you did have.

The bell in the window dinged, grabbing his burger you slid it across the counter and tossed him a set of rolled silverware before refilling your coffee cup. The conversation was easy between the two of you as he ate, Sweet Pea carrying most of it while you dried the few milkshake glasses you’d used tonight.

The buzzing of you phone pulled your attention away, signaling Sweet Pea to continue as you pulled it from your apron pocket and turned to put the last glass in its place.

‘Where the hell are my car keys’, Danny’s angry text message lighting up your screen.

You’d taken all the car keys with you before you left for school this morning, not wanting to give him the incentive to leave the house in search of trouble.

‘I don’t know? Did you check your bag of stuff from the jail?’

‘Don’t treat me like a child. I know you have them. Where are they.’’

‘We can talk about this when I get home. Working.’ Clicking off the phone, you slid it back into your pocket. Your stomach turned in knots as you turned back to the counter, Sweet Pea’s intent eyes watching your every move.

“What’s wrong”

Pinching the bridge of your nose you cleared off his now empty plate before sitting back in the chair you’d pulled out earlier, “Nothing.”

“Don’t start this game with me again. What happened?”

You weren’t sure if it was the exhaustion or just that you were tired of hiding every little problem from your friends, but you decided to throw him a bone. “Just my brother. He just got home and is a little irritated about house stuff.”

“Must suck to have someone so in and out of the house all the time.”

“Yeah I guess.” Defeat tinged your voice as you looked up at him. A part of you just wanted to spill it all out right there, let him know every sordid detail about your life. Lonnie had said you couldn’t carry this all on your own and maybe he’d been right.

Reaching across the counter Sweet Pea’s thumb grazed over the bags that had settled under your eyes, large hand cupping your cheek. It was an intimate gesture, one you had not expected but not unwanted. Leaning into his hand, a ghost of a smile spread across your features, the warmth of his touch calming your frazzled thoughts.

The slamming of the back door broke the moment between the two of you, Sweet Pea’s hand releasing you as you turned to see your relief walk through the swinging kitchen door. “Alright missy, out you go. I can take over from here”.

“He’s already cashed out Debbie.” Sending a shy smile Sweet Pea’s way you waved to the older lady as you gabbed your bag and coat from under the counter and headed for the front door. Heavy footsteps and the slamming of the door echoed behind you as you hit the pavement. “I don’t need an escort, Sweet Pea.”

“You thought I was going to let you walk through a dark parking lot at one in the morning alone? Think again sweetheart.” The two of you walked in silence as you rounded the back of the diner, hands grazing as he came to walk beside you.

The crown vic sat alone under one of the aged light poles, her black color looking even more faded in the harsh yellow light. Tone teasing, you gave him a sideways grin “Thanks for the escort. Even if it wasn’t needed.” Moving to open the driver side door you halted in place as Sweet Pea reached for your wrist, his pull on you turning you back to look at him.

Before you knew what was happening Sweet Pea’s lips were on you, soft and warm against your own. Instinctively your hands gripped at his leather coat as you him kissed back; a small whimper escaped as he deftly maneuvered you back against your car, large hands grasping at your hips. The cool metal against your back was a relief, the heat that seemed to be coursing through you unstoppable. Your brain tried to process what was going on, but the spice of his cologne and the hint of motor oil clouded your senses and silenced your fear.

The kiss was over too soon, a flush resting in your cheeks as Sweet Pea looked down at you, his own breath coming out in pants.

“Thanks for the burger, babe”. Tattooed thump ghosting over your lower lip he gave you one of his signature flirty grins before stepping away and turning back towards his bike at the front of the diner.

“Well shit…” you couldn’t help but smile a little to yourself as you got into the car and made your way home.


	4. Chapter 4

The slamming of the backdoor echoed through the house, brows furrowed you checked your phone. It was just past seven and Danny wasn’t known to be a morning person; turning from your closet you snuck a peak out your bedroom window, a man a little older than your brother was making his way through the back gate. A sleek BMW sat waiting for him next to your garage, the chrome grill reflecting the morning sun. He was well dressed compared to most people you’d seen your brother with, sport coat and dark wash jeans, blonde hair slicked back and cut to match the current fashion trend. You couldn’t say that you recognized him, dark shades obscuring the more telling of his features, but your gut twisted as the stranger took one last look at the house before sliding into the car and disappearing from site. Your brother was never out of bed before noon on weekdays, an attempt to stay out of trouble he’d said, so the visitor had you suspicious.

It’d been almost a month since Danny made bond and to the best of your knowledge he’d been keeping his nose clean. With the help of Lonnie, you’d been able to secure him a job at the plant working the three to eleven shift as a laborer; the job wasn’t glamorous and the hours sucked, but it put money in the bank and food on the table. You weren’t home much, between school and the extra work at pops, but from what you could tell he hadn’t been doing much more than sleeping and working. Or that is what you had assumed up until five minutes ago when a stranger walked out the back door; he’d obviously found time to make a new friend.

Slipping a bulky sweater over your head you tried to turn your attention to the rest of your morning routine instead of the gnawing uneasiness that settled in your stomach. The public defender had called Danny yesterday, said the DA was willing to make a deal on the case. The two of you had talked about it a little over his burger at Pop’s after his shift but hadn’t committed to anything. If an outsider was looking in they’d probably tell him to take it, but for the two of you it meant more than just a guilty charge on a rap sheet.

Hitting your lashes with one more swipe of the mascara wand you looked over your complexion; the extra hours you had taken on at the diner were starting to show, dark circles were becoming a permanent fixture under your eyes and Cheryl had been more than generous in pointing them out this week. You had this weekend off, finally deciding that you needed to give your body a break from the ridiculous schedule you’d been trying to maintain, and you had every intention of sleeping through the whole thing. Granting yourself one more once over in the mirror you grabbed your bag and headed towards the kitchen, the coffee and questions about Danny’s mystery guest both calling your name.

Your brother was sitting at the small kitchen island when you finally made it down stairs, steaming cup of coffee in his hand you had a glimmer of déjà vu; the resemblance to your father in that moment was uncanny, lanky frame hunched over his phone and honey colored hair in all sorts of disarray. It tugged at you, how even after five years you could swear you saw your dad at the counter or hear your mom singing in the laundry room.

“You’re up early this morning,” filling your mug with the much-needed caffeine you topped it off with a splash of milk from the carton before settling against the back counter.

“Couldn’t sleep”, looking up from his phone he leveled his blue gaze on you. He looked to be in about as good of shape as you, bags under his eyes and exhaustion the only feature readable. Getting over the withdrawal had done a number on him, not being able to keep much down and the shakes still seemed to come and go, but he was on the uptick now. He’d gained a little weight since he got out, looking more like a man and less like a ghoul as the days went on.

“Who was the guy I saw leaving this morning,” not bothering to beat around the bush you gave him a raised brow look from behind your mug.

“Hmmm? What guy?”

“The one with the hundred dollar haircut driving a black BMW that walked through the back yard not even ten minutes ago”

“Oh. That guy. He’s an associate- needed to run something by me.”

“An associate. You have associates that drive BMWs.” Nodding your head, you took a sip of your coffee, anger simmering in your blood at the fact he had no problem lying to your face. “Don’t bullshit me, Danny. I’ve seen enough shit over the past couple of years, this is all tied to the drugs the cops took off you this last time isn’t it.”

He seemed to deflate on his stool, shoulders hunching he focused on his coffee instead of looking at you. The image of your dad faded right there, no longer seeing a tall man with disheveled hair and a heart of gold but a junkie who couldn’t get out of his own way and had little concern about the repercussions of his actions.

The two of you had been dancing around the bigger issue since his release, Danny avoiding the topic every time you brought it up and you handling him more like a child than your brother; the stranger walking out of your house first thing in the morning was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

“I can’t help you if you don’t let me know what the hell is going on.” Irritation was evident in your voice as you filled your travel mug, keeping your hands busy till you could get better control over your emotions.

“I’ve got it handled Queenie. This doesn’t involve you.”

His words had you turning, coffee forgotten you slammed your hands onto the island in front of him. “Are you fucking kidding me! I’m your god damn sister, of course this involves me.” His startled blue eyes met the anger in yours. “I bailed your ass out again and you don’t have the fucking decency to keep me in the loop so I can cover for you if I need to?”

Tension filled the kitchen, both of you staring at each other in silence as your words settled between the two of you. Tears pricked at your eyes as the emotions you tried to lock down came spilling out, looking away from your brother you wiped a falling tear from your cheek. “You’re the only one I’ve got left, Danny. Please don’t do this. Whatever it is that man wanted you to do I am begging you to step away.” Your voice trembled at the admission; you had never pleaded with him before, always just letting him make his mistakes and bailing him out, but this time was different. This time he was looking at serious jail time and you were looking at being placed in the system, you’d lose everything you tried so hard to keep together.

“Hey, look at me.” Large hand resting over your dishwashed raw one he coaxed your gaze up, “I will fix this, all of it. I won’t leave you hanging and we’ll stay a family. I promise.” The look in his blue eyes had you latching onto the little sliver of hope you had left, a small smile replacing the anger and resentment that had settled there before.

“Ok.” Giving his hand a quick squeeze, you turned back to your coffee mug and grabbed your bag from the floor.

“I love you Queenie”. You let yourself relax as Danny pulled you into a tight hug, his scent familiar and soothing.

“I love you too, Danny.” You held on tight for a moment longer before turning for the door. It didn’t escape you that he hadn’t addressed the strange man or his court deal, but for now you just needed to hope; hope that he was telling the truth when he said he’d fix it all, hope that he’d stay clean, hope that he’d keep his promise you’d stay a family. If you lost hope in him now there would be no going back.

Sweet Pea’s hand idly grazed underneath the hem of your sweater, calloused fingers sending goosebumps across your back as he talked with Fangs and Jughead over lunch. The two of you had moved into a comfortable intimacy since the night of the diner; no declarations were announced, or bold actions made to confirm anything had happened, but the group seemed to accept that something had shifted between the two of you. Him keeping you company at Pop’s till the early morning, lingering touches and the occasional late-night visit through your window didn’t mean anything was formal between you and the way your life was rolling you were ok with that.

“You’re coming to Cheryl’s party tonight right?”

“Hmm?” Pulling your attention from your World History book you looked up at Betty, only half listening to the conversations around you.

“Of course she is.” Cheryl not giving you a chance to turn down the offer. A party was really the last thing you wanted to go to; a date with your Netflix account and your bed had been the only thing you’d planned on doing this weekend, but apparently the girls had other ideas.

“It’ll be good for you to get out”, Toni elbowed you in the side trying to take the annoyed look off you face. “You haven’t been out with us all month. And don’t play the work card” Toni’s eyes silencing your excuse before you could get it out, “we all know you are off from the diner this weekend.”

“I have too been out with you guys. We were all at Pop’s last weekend.”

“No, we ate at Pop’s last weekend. You served us. For it to be considered out with us you would have had to been at the Wyrm for the previous five hours with us before the two in the morning meal.” Fang’s words told you the guys had tuned into your conversation, the teasing grin on his face daring you to argue his point.

Rolling your eyes you went back to your book, you weren’t going to satisfy him with an argument. It had actually been a fun night, the group piling into a booth after a night at the Wyrm. You had been a little jealous you couldn’t have started the night with them, but ending it with them had been a pretty good consolation prize.

“I’ll try and muster up the energy to make an appearance”, mirroring the smile Betty sent your way you collected your books and started out of the cafeteria as the bell rang. Sweet Pea’s grip on your hand had you pausing, waving to Betty so she wouldn’t wait up you turned and looked up at the dark-haired Serpent.

“You sure you’re up for the party?” Tucking loose hair behind your ear, he skimmed his fingers down your cheek, dark eyes taking in the weariness that settled on your features.

“Fogarty and Toni weren’t wrong, I haven’t been out in a while.” Shrugging your shoulders to turned back towards the door, “It wouldn’t hurt for me to get out for a few hours.”

Slinging his arm over your shoulder he maneuvered the two of you down the hall, nose nestled against your hair, lips ghosting over the shell of your ear as he spoke. “In that case how about I pick you up about eight.”

“Sorry to slow your roll there Casanova but I’ve got stuff I need to get done before the party. I’ll meet you there.” Stopping at the door of your next class you turned to face him, fingers toying with the buttons on his flannel. “And if it so happens that I need to go back to Cheryl’s on Saturday to get my car, so be it”. Looking up at Sweet Pea through your lashes you shot him a suggestive grin before turning on your heel and following the rest of the students into the classroom.

Toni had made a good point, going out for a night and giving yourself space from the house could be just what you needed. Your Netflix que and bed would still be there Saturday morning.

Music thumped from Thornhill as you let yourself in the front door, people spilling out of all the rooms as you maneuvered your way through in search of your friends. Cheryl may be a bit of a bitch and rub people the wrong way, but she knew how to throw a party and everyone showed up for it no matter what they thought of her.

Spotting Betty in the back of the dining room with a couple of girls you pushed your way through the crowd, dogging dancers and wandering hands in the close quarters. Sliding up next to the blonde, you were disappointed to see she’d been entertaining Veronica and a few of the other vixens. You and Veronica had never been friendly, more so tolerant of each other for Betty’s sake; something about her rubbed you the wrong way and something about you seemed to raise her hackles so the feeling had been mutual since day one.

“There you are! I was wondering when you were going to get here!” Betty’s voice was more bubbly than normal as she pulled you into a hug, the drink in her hand smelling of pineapple and rum as she pulled away.

“Just had to run a few errands is all”, nodding to Veronica and a few of the other girls you scanned the room looking for the boys while Betty continued to chatter on about whatever Vixen nonsense Cheryl had them doing now.

“So nice you could join the party. Betty said she wasn’t sure if you would make it. What’s kept you so busy?” Veronica’s catty tone had you bristling as you brought your attention back to the group.

“Just trying to save some extra money. Hoping to travel a little this summer,” giving her the fakest smile you could muster you went back to scanning the room, silencing the rest of your thoughts.

“Oh really? Where are you thinking?”

Her question sent your mind reeling, traveling was just a bullshit answer you’d started using that seemed to make sense when it came to all the hours you were working. “Uh.. Boston, I think. The history there is pretty interesting. The Cape. It’d be nice to spend some time at the ocean.”

“Oh…. you mean like local travel. I assumed you meant farther away. Yeah, I guess the Cape would be a good place. My father does know some people that have houses on Martha’s Vineyard. I’d be more than happy to get you connected with them. It is a wonderful place in the summer”

“Thanks Veronica…. I’ll think about it”. Rolling your eyes you half listened to the conversation that Betty was having with Josie, watching the couples on the make shift dance floor bump and grind on each other. Never failed, Veronica loved to take a casual conversation and turn it into some boasting about some person she knew somewhere. You weren’t really sure why Betty enjoyed hanging around her, you found it exhausting.

“I’ve been looking all over for you”, you could hear Toni before you could see her; pink hair and leather clad frame coming into view from behind a football player, a stark contrast to a room filled mostly with pastels and bulldog letterman jackets.

“Sorry, I just got here.” Allowing Toni to tug you away from the group you made sure to give the Veronica an exaggerated finger wave before disappearing from site.

The guys were gathered around one end of the kitchen island, a few empty beer bottles and solo cups scattered in front of them.

“Well look who finally decided to join us”, Fangs teased over the music as he nudged Sweet Pea in the side to pull his attention from the beer pong he’d been watching.

Your heart raced a little as you made your way over to where Sweet Pea was seated, his features changing from the normal scowl to that boyish grin that made you weak in the knees.

Putting his beer on the counter he pulled you to stand between his legs, large hands holding you firmly in place. “I thought I was going to have to send a search party out to look for you.”

Shrugging your shoulders, you placed a chaste kiss on his lips and turned in his hold to face the rest of the group. Danny had his weekly piss test today, not that you’d be sharing that with the group, and you’d made it a point to go with him since he got out, as much for support as for your own piece of mind; if you went with him then you knew that he’d gone and that was one less reason for his bail to be revoked.

The weight of the last month seemed to fade away as the night went on, laughing and good-humored conversation filling up the spaces where your anxiety and stress had been. Sweet Pea’s hands never strayed far from you, whether it was running his thumb just under your sweater or playing with your fingers he was always touching you.

You had to admit, it was a nice feeling to be the center of someone’s attention for once. You’d gotten so used to putting the house and Danny ahead of yourself that you’d forgotten what it felt like to have someone focus on you.

“I never see you drink”, Fang’s comment surprising you as you turned down a round that Toni passed out.

“Didn’t realize you watched what I did so closely, Fogarty.”

“I don’t watch closely, I just notice. At the Wyrm, at the few parties you go to, at the quarry… you never have a drink”

Chuckling to yourself you leaned back against Sweet Pea, “Ever consider that maybe I did drink at one point and results were not in my favor?”

“I don’t believe it. You’re to straight laced. You’re the good one of the group”, the slight slur in Toni’s words had the group laughing. Jughead jeering her for not holding it together despite being the bar tender.

Before you could get in a remark the buzzing of your cellphone grabbed your attention; the number on the screen had your heart stopping and pulse kicking into high gear. “I’ll be right back, I need to take this.” Detangling from Sweet Pea’s grasp you walked out the kitchen door into the cool evening, “What’s wrong Lonnie.”

“What is that noise? Are you at a party?”

“Yes Lonnie, I’m at a party. Focus. Please.”

He paused on the other end of the line, as if trying to debate on whether he wanted to tell you before he let a heavy sigh escape, “I’m sorry to do this to you kiddo, but I need to know where Danny is.”

“At work I assume.”

“He never showed up for his shift.”

“What do you mean he didn’t show up. When I left him at the clinic he was supposed to be heading right there”

“He never made it.”

Anxiety curled in your stomach, you should have known this would happen. It had been too much to hope he could keep himself on the good side of right and wrong for this long.

Running a hand through your hair you tried to figure out a plan. “Ok. Meet me at the house. We can figure out what to do from there.”

“Have you been drinking?”

“That’s a stupid question, Lonnie. I’ll see you at the house.”

“Alright kid”

Clicking off the line you tried to collect your thoughts; why the hell would he miss his last shift of the week, if he needed to clean up the last of his mess from before you weren’t sure why he couldn’t wait till tomorrow. It never failed, every time you tried to let your guard down and enjoy acting your age something came and fucked it up.

Pulling it together you let yourself back into the kitchen, the temperature of the room a much needed relief from the chill of the fall night. Betty had joined the rest in your absence, flushed from the alcohol she hung onto Jughead while the group laughed at something he said.

Running your hand down Sweet Pea’s back, you placed a chaste kiss on his cheek “Something came up. I’ve gotta run.”

“What’s wrong”, holding onto your wrist to prevent your departure his dark eyes searched yours for some explanation.

“Nothing is wrong. Just a family thing ok? I’ll call you later.” Wriggling out of his grasp you maneuvered through the crowd, absently waving at the calls from the rest of your friends.

“What the hell was that,” Toni muttered.

“Sweet Pea?” Fang’s coffee colored eyes focused on his friend in confusion.

“I have no idea, but I’m sure as hell going to find out.”

Leaving his mostly full beer on the counter Sweet Pea made his way through the crowd and out into the night. He was getting damn tired of you running off like a startled rabbit with no explanation.

The lights were on in the kitchen as you pulled up into the driveway, Lonnie’s old pick up parked where the sleek BMW had been earlier this morning. You had given him the spare key after he’d dragged Danny’s drunk ass home one night and he’d held on to it since.

Charging through the front door you flipped on the front lights, “Lonnie!”

“In the kitchen, Kid.”

Tossing your bag onto the sofa you made your way through the house to see the burly man standing at the microwave, helping himself to the last of the homemade pizza you’d made the night before.

“Seriously? You’re raiding my fridge?”

“What, I was hungry. And you make some of the best pizza.”

Shaking your head, you stepped around him and grabbed a water before taking a seat at the kitchen island. “Have you gotten any word?”

“Nothing. I have a couple of my contacts keeping an eye on his usual haunts but so far it’s been quiet.” Taking a bite of his pizza he settled against the back counter, blue eyes watching you.

“There was a guy here this morning.” Toying with the cap of the water bottle you looked up at Lonnie, the look in his eye not one you’ve seen before. Despite his job, Lonnie had always come across as light hearted and easy going; he may be large with a ridiculous mustache but up until this moment you always thought he couldn’t hurt a fly.

“Who was it”, the steely tone in his voice proving to you that he was not a man you’d want to get sideways with.

“I don’t know. He was driving a BMW, blonde hair, well dressed. I’ve never seen him before and I doubt he is in Danny’s normal circle of friends.” Anxiously you picked at the raw cuitals left from weeks of dishwashing at Pops, the faint rumble of a motor coming down the street the only sound hanging in the air.

“I’ll make a call and see if I can find out anything. For now the best thing you can do it keep your phone on and wait.” Reaching across the island he slapped your hand away from your cuticles, “so stop worrying.” Settling back in his spot  he reached for the last of his pizza, movements suddenly halting suddenly when he looked towards the kitchen doorway.

“How the hell do you know Lonnie and why is he in your kitchen,” the demanding voice had your eyes widening at Lonnie and slowly turning on your stool, Sweet Pea’s towering presence the last thing you were expecting in your kitchen.


	5. Chapter 5

“Sweet Pea, what are you doing here?” Eyes wide in alarm you looked up at the tall Serpent, not moving from your spot at the counter.

“You hightailed it out of Cheryl’s without any explanation,” his tone hinting that there wasn’t any more justification needed.

“I told you I had a family thing and that I’d call you later.”

“That’s not an explanation, that’s an excuse.” Folding his arms across his chest, he leaned up against the doorframe and focused his hard gaze on you. “So, are you going to tell me why there is a bail bondsman in your kitchen helping himself to pizza?”

“Apparently, he was hungry…” tone clipped, you met Sweet Pea’s look with one of your own.

Tension seemed to sizzle in the air, you were just as happy about Sweet Pea finding Lonnie in your kitchen as he was. You had never considered that Sweet Pea would find out about your dealings with Lonnie; you had a contingency plan for when the hearsay got to him about you being in the office, but you had never planned for Sweet Pea walking in on Lonnie making himself at home in your kitchen.

On the flip side, you had never opened up to Lonnie about the people you had in your life besides Danny and him. Part of that had been simply because you didn’t think he’d care but it also been a way of self-preservation; keeping Lonnie and your brother separate from the rest of your life helped you keep up the pretense that everything was as it appeared to your friends and staff at Riverdale High. Based on the look that Lonnie was sending you and Sweet Pea, he could tell that there was more floating between the two of you than just casual acquaintances that had met at the party.

A chuckle from the big man behind you had you stiffening, “I wasn’t aware that the two of you were close.”

“You could call it that,” Sweet Pea’s eyes flickering over to Lonnie before settling back on you.

Releasing a sigh, you looked down at your hands, your raw cuticles proving to be more interesting than dealing with the giant elephant in the room.

“You might as well tell him Kiddo”, finishing off the last of his pizza Lonnie tossed his plate in the sink and headed for the door. “Looks like he wants answers. And besides, it’s probably about time you get some help with all of it. I’ll keep you posted if I hear anything”, waving he made his way outside.

“Hey! Wait! You can’t just…” your words were cut off as the backdoor slammed behind him, only you and Sweet Pea left in the kitchen. Silence stretched between the two of you, his dark gaze watching your every movement while you busied yourself looking everywhere but at him.

The rustling of leather and heavy foot falls on the floor had your eyes closing and head turning away from the approaching boy. This was not how all of this was supposed to turn out, he was never supposed to find out about how big of a shit show your life was. Sweet Pea may be a Serpent and at times flirt with the wrong side of the law, but that didn’t mean he was willing to be tangled up with some drug dealer’s sister. For all you knew Danny had gotten in bed with the Ghoulies; if that was the case Sweet Pea would wash his hands of you for good and you weren’t sure if you could handle that.

Calloused fingers gripped your chin, forcing you to look up at the dark-haired boy that stood in front of you. Irritation filtered across his dark eyes, the muscles in his jaw clenching as he tried to reign in his frustration with you. “I need you to tell me why Lonnie Heggem was just here.”

“If I tell you it’s nothing will you drop it?”

“Not this time babe.” Thumb grazing against your lower lip he waited you out, the irritation in his eyes was slowly replaced by patience; there was no doubt you could call Sweet Pea aggressive, impulsive and over all hot headed, but under that fighter exterior was someone who genuinely worried about his people. “I don’t care what kind of trouble you’re in, I just need to know what is going on, so I can help.”

The nagging feeling you first felt that night at the diner crept its way back into your stomach, the want to spill the whole story to him only increasing. There would be no going back once you opened Pandora’s box, you’d have to admit that the quaint little house on the northside and the neat and tidy life you portrayed was just a cover for what went on behind closed doors.

A bitter laugh escaped you as you pulled yourself from his hold; rising from the stool, you skirted around the counter to the coffee pot. It was going to be a long night, so you might as well start the caffeine intake.

“There is no helping this situation”, your tone even as you measured out grounds and added water. Sweet Pea had settled on the stool you vacated as you turned back to look at him, the pot behind you gurgling to life. Patient brown eyes looked back at you, thumb drumming on the counter waiting for you to continue.

“My brother has found himself involved in a situation where Lonnie’s business assistance was required.”

“Your brother got arrested and you needed Lonnie to bond him out…”

“Yes”

“Ok. That answers part of my question. It still doesn’t answer why he was eating pizza in your kitchen like he owned the place,” Sweet Pea’s dark brows raised in slight confusion.

“This isn’t the first time Lonnie has helped me out,” running a shaking hand through your hair you tried to gage Sweet Pea’s reaction. His features didn’t portray much, brows quirked slightly as his eyes just looked back at you with little emotion.

“How many times has Lonnie helped you out?”

“Do you mean how many times Lonnie has bonded my brother out or how many times he’s just helped us out in general?”

Sweet Pea’s gaze hardened a little, the gravity of the situation seeming to hit home at your last comment. Bonding a person out was an everyday thing on the south side but having a relationship with a bondsman that went beyond just professionalism was a stretch, even on his side of the tracts. “You said your brother was a salesman and he traveled for work…”

Shrugging your shoulders, you couldn’t help but release a sad ironic laugh. “Well… he is in the sales business it would seem. At least according to arraignment papers.”

Sweet Pea tensed at the word arraignment, an arraignment for possession with intent was not a misdemeanor; your brother was looking at serious time and you hadn’t breathed a word of it. He had always gone by the assumption that friends confided in each other, the good and the bad and yet you felt it was better to keep this to yourself. It bothered him that you’d assumed this was a road you had to walk alone, that no one would understand. That he wouldn’t understand. His dark eyes roamed over your features, while anxiety seemed to hover in your eyes the rest of you was far too relaxed. “How long has this been going on?”

The ding of the coffee pot had you turning to fill mugs, the mundane motions of making cups to fit both your tastes a needed reprieve from the conversation. Coming around to his side you placed a mug in front on him before grabbing a seat at the island. You couldn’t bear to look at him if you were going to lay it all out, the pitying look he’d give you would be too much.

“I was ten the first time my mother and I walked into Lonnie’s office. Danny had been picked up for something- probably possession. It wasn’t the first time he’d gotten in trouble mind you, just the first time my parents couldn’t foot the bail.” Taking a sip from your mug you snuck a sideways glance at Sweet Pea. He sat tall on the stool, dark eyes focused on the bitter liquid in front of him.

Tracing the swirls that adorned the granite counter with your finger you pushed on, nervous energy humming through you. “She had to use Lonnie a couple more times after that. Danny did a couple short stints in jail, 30 days here or there for infractions. He got clean though…. after the accident.”

You could feel Sweet Pea shift beside you at the mention of the accident; you hadn’t ever talked about your parent’s death with any of the them. You’d always figured Betty had filled in some of the plot holes, but you never knew how much. “What do you know about it?”

“Not a lot. Just that it was a car accident and they didn’t survive.”

Nodding, you took another sip of your coffee. “They had been on their way to pick me up from ice skating practice, we were supposed to go to Pop’s for burger and shakes. I hung around the rink for hours waiting for them, but they never showed. Eventually Sheriff Keller showed up and took me to the station, told me what happened. Someone had run their car off the road, it flipped in the ditch a couple times. They were already gone by the time the medics showed up.” Taking another sip, you focused your eyes on the fridge, if you didn’t get it all out now you never would. “It would be years later, but Danny let it slip when he was on a bender that the reason they got run off the road was because of him. Apparently, he had used their car earlier in the day for a deal and it went sideways; the guys that ran the car off the road thought it was Danny, not my parents. Keller was never able to catch the drivers.” Sweet Pea’s hand rested over yours as your breath hitched, it sounded a little ridiculous when you said it out loud; continuously sparing your brother when he was responsible for the situation you found yourselves in.

“He got clean after that, for a while anyways. I think he made it two years before he fell back into his old ways. We’d done enough business with Lonnie in the past that he started dropping Danny off at the house when he’d find him wandering or passed out somewhere. Never was sure why, but I assumed it was because he knew Danny was all I had. Is all I have.” Sweet Pea’s gaze was watchful, his brows furrowed as if trying to come to terms with the information you flooded him with. “Eventually I started showing up at his office because Danny would call me from jail and I didn’t know where else to go.” You couldn’t help but grin a little into your coffee mug, “Used to ride my bike down there. Can you imagine? Me… riding a bright yellow bike down to the southside.”

Chuckling to himself, Sweet Pea turned on his stool and pulled your hand so you were facing him. “The old crown vic fits in a lot better.” You watched as he ran a calloused thumb over your rough hands, understanding crossing his features as pieces of the puzzle started to fit together. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

Shrugging your shoulders, you looked down at your joined hands. “Partially because I was embarrassed, for my brother’s sake… and my parents. The last thing I want attached to their memory is a drug dealing son.”

“And the other part?”

“It’s no one’s burden to bear, but my own. I’m not going to weigh down everyone else with my problems. It’s my family and I can handle it on my own.”

Sweet Pea rested his finger under your chin, brining your eyes slowly back up to his. “Just because you can handle it on your own doesn’t mean you have to”, a ghost of a smile graced his features as he tucked your hair behind your ear. “How many people know.”

“Know what?”

“About this- your brother, the accident. How many people know the whole story start to finish.”

Chewing on your lower lip you debated for a moment, Sweet Pea was the first person in the group to know the whole story. Outside of Lonnie you hadn’t shared it with a single sole, even with knowing Betty for as long as you did you hadn’t felt comfortable sharing it with her.

“Lonnie knows the whole deal.”

“Who else?”

“And now you.”

“That’s it? You haven’t told anyone else?”

Shaking your head, you looked up into his dark brown eyes and watched them change at the realization of what that meant. “Oh sweetheart”, you heard him murmur under his breath before his lips met yours. There was a tenderness in it that hadn’t been there before, a feeling of something deeper passing between the two of you.

“No more.” Resting his forehead against yours, his words were barely above a whisper. “No more secrets. No more running off and not telling me what is going on.”

All you could do was nod in agreement, a weight that had been sitting heavy on you for years seemed to be lifted. The buzzing of your phone across the counter broke the comfortable silence that had settled in the house. Turning from Sweet Pea you reached for the phone to see a text from Lonnie come across the screen.

‘Spotted at The Iron. Left before I could get to him. Bartender said he headed towards Greendale.’

“Who was spotted at The Iron?” Sweet Pea’s baritone voice startling you.

“Danny. He didn’t show up for the rest of his shift at the plant today. Been in the wind since.”

“If he’s leaving The Iron he’s got himself mixed up with a bad crowd.” Sweet Pea’s words over your shoulder had you thinking. If he was setting up a meeting with someone there would be one bar he’d use; you’d picked him up there enough times now that you were pretty sure the bar had you on speed dial.

Rising from your stool you dumped the last of your coffee down the sink and turned to Sweet Pea, “You up for a drive?”

“I am not letting you go down to The Iron.”

“We aren’t going to The Iron.”

“Where are we going?”

“It’s called the Blue Nugget. It’s a bar on the outskirts of Greendale. If he is meeting up with someone that’s where he will be.” Turning from the dark-haired boy you made your way into the living room where you had dumped your bag earlier.

Heavy footsteps across the hardwood told you Sweet Pea had followed. “I’m pretty sure hunting down a bail jumper who is having a secret meeting at a seedy bar is outside of your job description. Brother or not”.

Slipping into your coat you turned to look him, his towering frame leaning against the doorway. “I know the bar, been there a hundred times before. And I’m not hunting him down, I just want him to talk to him.” Sweet Pea’s only response was a raised brow look and a shake of his head, “I’m going whether you come or not.”

Slinging your bag over your shoulder you headed out the front door, a muttering of curses coming from Sweet Pea before he joined you on the steps. Locking the deadbolt behind him you headed towards the car; Sweet Pea’s hand grazed yours as you walked, touched by his support until you realized he’d taken the keys from you.

“I’m driving”, his brown eyes looking down at you when you stopped in your tracks.

“The hell you are. It’s my car. I’m driving!”

“I’m already going against my gut and letting you chase down your brother at a bar. Best not push your luck, babe” his brown eyes daring you to try.

The neon of the Blue Nugget sign illuminated the gravel lot outside the bar; there were a few cars and motorcycles parked haphazardly, but none of them belonged to Danny.

“You see his rig?” Sweet Pea asked from the driver side.

Shaking your head, you scanned the parking lot one more time before unbuckling and reaching for the door handle. Sweet Pea grabbed your wrist, halting your exit, “Where do you think you’re going?”

“He might have parked around back. Or walked in. I’m just going to check inside. It’ll take me five minutes.”

A low grumble came from deep in his throat before he released you and opened his own door.

“You don’t have to come with me.” Turning towards the bar, you began to pick your way around broken beer bottles and discarded cans.

“I didn’t let you walk to your car alone at Pops so why would you think I’d let you walk into a bar alone?”

“You were just looking to get some at Pop’s.”

A devilish grin spread across his features, “That’s beside the point.”

The Blue Nugget was not a bar that catered to the high-class crowd, truckers, bikers, laborers and hookers not on the clock amongst the regulars; it had been known to be the place of the occasional drug deal and the occasional police bust, just the type of bar that Danny just gravitated towards.

“We’ll swing around and go in the side door,” grabbing onto Sweet Pea’s hand you pulled him around the building, eyes scanning the few cars parked along the side to see if Danny’s was one of them. A couple of smokers hung around the back door, the men nodding as you passed and slid into the dimly lit hallway. The smell of stale beer and fry oil hit your senses, sawdust kicking up as you made your way to the front.

“Your brother really knows how to pick his bars.”

“It’s a little run down, but the people are pretty good.”

There were a few patrons scattered around the main bar as you pulled up alongside the waitress station, the sound of clicking pool balls told you a game was going on in the back and a few of the high tops were occupied. No one in the bar looked to be waiting for anyone, most of them staring into their half empty glasses and there was no sign of Danny.

You could feel Sweet Pea tense behind you, his hand resting on your hip and pulling you closer to him as he scanned the room. His features hardened as he watched the patrons at bar, the few men that had passed lingering looks over you dropped their eyes once they met Sweet Pea’s.

“Well look what the cat dragged in!”

The high pitched call from the other end of the bar had you smiling, “Hey Mercy- it’s been a while!”

“Do you make friends with everyone who is somehow tied to your brother’s bad decisions?” Sweet Pea murmured in your ear.

“Only the good ones”, shooting a brazen grin over your shoulder you turned back as Mercy came up across from you.

You figured Mercy was pushing fifty, a box blonde that had a mouth like a sailor and have been your brother’s saving grace more than one in this bar. “What brings you in tonight honey?” Her attention drawn from you to the tall Serpent towering over the both of you. “And with a Serpent? Haven’t seen them in these parts in a while.”

Sweet Pea’s dark eyes flickered down to the older women, but otherwise stayed silent. You knew the Serpents had done business outside of Riverdale, but the comings and goings of what they did was not your concern nor was it even in your realm of caring.

“He’s not on Serpent work, Mercy. Just helping me out.”

“Oh, I’m sure he is darling”, sending you a wink she popped open a beer and took a swing. “What do ya’ know?”

“I’m looking for Danny, thought maybe he would have stopped in here tonight.”

The easy-going grin Mercy usually carried faltered, fingers anxiously spinning her open bottle. “He hasn’t checked in with you?”

The change in her demeanor sent the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end, “I saw him at the clinic late this afternoon. He was supposed to be headed to finish out the rest of his shift work, but word is he never made it there.”

Mercy looked around the bar as if making sure the occupants were otherwise entertained, “There was a slick looking blonde guy here a little while ago. Real slick ya know, stylish haircut, fancy shoes. Stuck out like a sore thumb in a dump like this. He was in asking about Danny, said they had a meeting scheduled.”

“Did Danny ever show up?”

“Just for a second. I was restocking beer in the cooler and when I came back the two of them were headed out the front door.”

Sweet Pea’s hand tensed against your hip, his body rotating to get a better look at the bar to see if anyone was paying attention to the conversation.

“Fuck”, running a hand through your hair you let out a frustrated sigh. “What time was this at?”

“Oh, probably about eleven-thirty. Midnight maybe?”

The clock above the bar read one-thirty bar, which would make it a little past one actual time. You hadn’t missed him by that much, if he wasn’t here then you were at a loss for where he would go.

“Oh, probably about eleven-thirty. Midnight maybe?”

The clock about the bar read one-thirty bar time making it just a little past one, you hadn’t missed him by that much. But if he wasn’t here, then you were at a loss for where he would go. Danny was usually a creature of habit, the best you could guess was that he’d return to house high on something and pass out till morning. You’d have to let Lonnie know that the blonde had re-appeared, hopefully his contacts would have more information by now.

“Thanks Mercy, appreciate the help.”

“Is he in some trouble, honey?”

“It’s looking that way. If he shows back up again will you give me a ring? Doesn’t matter what time it is.”

“Sure thing.”

Nudging Sweet Pea in the side you turned to go, “Nothing more we can do here. Might as well head back.”

Taking a swig from her bottle, Mercy watched the pair of you for a moment. “Hey- tall, dark and brooding” Sweet Pea turned back as you tried to stifle a chuckle at the older woman’s words, “you watch out for the girl you hear? Anyone who takes care of a fuck up like Danny is a good one and she don’t deserve the shit that might come down.”

Just giving a curt nod Sweet Pea rested his hand on your lower back and moved you towards the hallway; Mercy gave a quick wave before heading back towards her patrons at the bar.

“I would never believe you know the people that you do if I hadn’t seen it for myself” Sweet Pea muttered once you made it out into the cool night, hand still resting on your lower back as he watched the parking lot.

“I’m just full of surprises”

“Yeah… I think I’ve had enough of them for one night.”

Stopping at the car you turned to face him, hands reaching up to rest on either side of his face. “Thank you for coming with me. You didn’t have to, and I would have been fine on my own, but I appreciate the back up.”

Sweet Pea took your hands in his and kissed your forehead, “Anytime babe.”

“Dammit kid, didn’t I tell you to stay home and just wait!” Lonnie’s voice echoed from the other end of the line.

“I had a gut feeling and I went with it.”

“Don’t play the gut feeling card with me. How many times have I told you don’t go out there alone, that crowd is not always a good one.”

“I didn’t go alone. Sweet Pea is with me. And Mercy was bartending.”

“Because that makes me feel better”, Lonnie’s words had Sweet Pea looking at you out of the corner of his eye before focusing back on the road. The neighborhood was quiet as Sweet Pea maneuvered the old car home, the soft glow of the crown vic’s lights the only elimination on the dark streets.

“For the love of god, go home and stay there. No more hunting around for your brother in unsavory places.”

“I called you to tell you what I found out. Not to get a lecture.” Rubbing the bridge of your nose, you leaned your head back against the headrest and closed your eyes. The second wind you got when leaving for the bar as fading and weariness was starting to settle into your bones.

A heavy sigh came across the other end of the line as Sweet Pea pulled the car into your driveway, the distant ringing of a church bell signaled that it was two o’clock. Snagging the keys out of Sweet Pea’s hands you made your way up the walk; you could feel your bed calling you and you had every intention of not leaving it for the next twelve hours.

“Alright. Calm down. I’m home and just….” your words stuck in your throat as you looked at the front of the house.

“And just what? Hello?” Lonnie’s aggited voice coming across the line, but you were too shocked to answer.

“Fuck”, you heard Sweet Pea mutter beside you as he took in the wide open front door and the tossed living room just inside.


	6. Chapter 6

“You need to call the Sheriff.”

“Why?” Righting the toppled floor lamp you turned to look at Lonnie; despite your protest the big man had come back to the house when you had finally collected yourself enough to tell him what had happened.

“Because someone broke into your house…”

“Obviously they were looking for something specific since all the valuables are still here.” You’d searched the house as soon as the shock had worn off, the lock box with all your mother’s jewelry hadn’t been touched and the jar with all your tip money had been left alone. “Keller has enough stuff going on with the black hood, this isn’t a big deal. And without knowing what Danny is involved in, I can’t risk involving anyone else.”

“You think this is all tied to your brother?” Sweet Pea’s voice had you turning as he came out of the kitchen. The tall Serpent had been your anchor throughout the night, his presence keeping you grounded as you tried to sort through the wreckage. They tossed everything, all the drawers in the kitchen had been dumped out, the cupboards left open, the living room bookshelf emptied and knocked over, pillows shredded; anything that could have hid something had been searched through or destroyed.

Shrugging your shoulders, you picked up the shredded pillow and toyed with the fabric. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. He was offered a deal with the DA and then didn’t show up for his shift; he was seen leaving The Iron, Mercy confirmed that he left the Blue Nugget with the blonde guy and now our house has been tossed. He’s obviously got something that someone wants and apparently they are going through whatever means they feel is necessary to get it back.” The thought left an uneasy feeling in your stomach, people like this stopped at nothing to get what they wanted and there was no telling what the next step would be.

“I got word back on the blonde you saw,” Lonnie’s words had you wide eyed, if you could figure out the who the mystery man was it might help you devise a plan. “From what we can gather he is the main supplier of the stuff Danny got caught selling.” Lonnie’s blue gazed settled onto Sweet Pea, “It sounds like he tapped Penny Peabody as a middle to get the product out and Danny was one of her guys.”

Sweet Pea stiffened at his words, anger covering his features. Leave it to Danny to get involved with one of the worst people to ever come out of Riverdale. “Didn’t realize she was expanding her market,” Sweet Pea’s tone sending a chill through you. You knew Sweet Pea had been a part of Penny’s excommunication from the Serpents, but you’d never asked how involved he’d been. Based on his response, there was a lot of bad blood still here.

“And Danny has found himself knee deep in it” sighing, you settled onto the old couch, head in your hands you tried to think up your next move. Lonnie’s information only fed the fear that seemed to be your constant companion these few weeks; Danny had finally gotten into bed with the wrong people and it was going to bring your world crashing down around you. For the first time in a long time you had no idea where to go from here; did you head out again and look for your brother, do you clean up the mess and try to pretend none of it happened or do you follow Lonnie’s advice and go to the Sheriff and let him handle it.

“You ok, Kiddo?”

Running a hand through your hair in frustration, you nodded without turning. “Yeah… I’m just trying to figure out where we go from here. I need to try and find Danny and….”

“Not tonight you aren’t.” Sweet Pea’s exclamation had you looking up as the tall boy came to stand in front of you, the previous anger on his face replaced by concern.

Peering through your lashes you shot him an annoyed glance, “Who died and made you boss?”

Dropping down to squat in front of you Sweet Pea took your hands in his, warm brown eyes holding your own with a steady look. “You look like you are ready to keel over. It’s coming up on three o’clock and you haven’t heard a word from your brother all night.” As if to make a point, Sweet Pea grazed a thumb over the dark circles that rested under your eye; “You need a few hours of sleep and then we’ll make a plan.”

Lonnie shuffled his feet uncomfortably as he watched the scene in front of him, it was the first time he’d seen you this open with another person. From the first time he’s dragged Danny’s ass home he’d been met with pure bullheadedness when it came to trying to help you, your determination to handle everything and take care of your family on your own overriding all else. For years he’d worked tirelessly to try and break through the shield you carried around, at times barely making any headway and here you were showing more to this boy than he’d ever seen you offer to another soul. Even now you would have had your hackles up if he would have suggested what Sweet Pea had and yet you seemed to not want to fight back against the dark-haired Serpent. Part of him chalked it up to exhaustion, but the rest of it he knew was the undefined relationship between the two of you. Something seemed to pull you two together, an unspoken kinship that he may never understand. The lives of the Serpent youth were not much different from your own if he thought about it, the only difference being what side of the tracks you lived on; perhaps Sweet Pea saw a lot of his own life in yours and in turn knew just what you needed. A small smile graced his features as he watched the boy cup your cheek, his brown eyes patient; if you were willing to bring this kid into your inner circle and let him help you he wasn’t going to question it. It was about time you let someone help you shoulder the weight of the world.

“He’s right kid. You need sleep and if Danny wants you to find him, he’ll get in contact with you.”

Sweet Pea shot Lonnie a thankful look, hopefully at the concurrence of the big man you’d relent and let him get you out of the house.

“What, are you two tag teaming now?” Releasing a frustrated sigh, you rose from the couch and gave the living room one more scan. You were all out of fight, there was nothing left in your tank and at this point sleep would at least let you escape from this reality for a little while. “Alright. Fine. I’ll call off the hunt for the rest of the night.”

A collective sigh seemed to escape the two men, Sweet Pea rising to his full height he ran a hand down your back. “Good. Throw some crap in a bag and we can crash at my place.”

“We are not crashing at your place. We’re crashing here. Danny could come back.”

“Danny isn’t coming back here. He is in the wind and will remain that way until he wants to be found.” Lonnie’s tone had you turning to face him, the look in his blue eyes mirroring a look very similar to yours when you’d made up your mind. “You are either staying with Sweet Pea or with me so go pack a bag. I’ll secure the front door and we can regroup tomorrow after you’ve gotten some sleep.”

You stared at Lonnie wide eyed for a moment, in all the years the two of you had known each other he’d never flat out told you what to do. Muttering under your breath about men with ape like mentalities you stomped up the stairs and headed to your room to grab what you thought you might need.

“Sweet Pea,” Lonnie’s deep voice had the teen stopping on the stairs and turning, the look in the bondsmen’s eyes softening slightly and filling with concern. “You watch out for her. I don’t know what kind of mess Danny is in, but I wouldn’t put it past these guys to use whatever leverage they see fit to get what they want.”

“She’s safe with me”. Sweet Pea watched as the man mulled over it for a moment before giving a curt nod and heading out the busted front door; after getting a glimpse into the places you put yourself for the sake of your brother and now finding out he was in bed with Penny, he’d be damned if he let you out of his site until this was over.

The clock on the dash told you it was three thirty as you pulled in next to Sweet Pea at the trailer; it had been a fifteen-minute argument about you driving yourself, the guys finally relenting only after you agreed to drive sandwiched between Sweet Pea’s bike and Lonnie’s truck. Turning off the ignition you let your head fall back and your eyes close, the events of the past twelve hours had caught up and you had nothing left to give. Exhaustion settled deep in your bones, the idea of just getting out of the car seemed to require more energy than you could muster at the moment.

The creak of the car door and large hands tugging on your own finally had you relenting. “Come on, you can’t sleep in the car.” With a heavy sigh you grabbed your bag and dragged yourself from the vehicle, feet sluggish you followed Sweet Pea towards the stairs.

The trailer was an older model, but well kept; over the past month you’d spent a bit of time here with Sweet Pea and it never failed to surprise you that he kept a pretty clean house. A faint glow from the kitchen was the only light in the trailer as you dumped your bag on Sweet Pea’s couch, the familiar scent of his cologne and motor oil wrapping around you. You just stood in the center of the living room, brain unable to decide on the next step you needed to take; tension began to creep along your shoulders and down your back as you let yourself finally think about what the break in meant. Your brother had been stupid enough to get involved with people who had no qualms about breaking into a house and turning it upside down; he allowed people to take away the one space you had that was supposed to be safe from his crazy world.

Closing your eyes against the tears that threatened to fall you focused on the sounds around you; a motorcycle engine echoed in the distance, Sweet Pea clanging glasses in the kitchen, the rumble of the heater as it kicked over, the echo of yelling voices a few trailers down, anything that might help ground you.

A thumb wiping away a stray tear had you opening your eyes, Sweet Pea’s concerned gaze taking you in. Guilt settled over you like a wet blanket as you dropped your eyes to the floor, unable to look at him without losing what little control you had left. If you had known the full extent of what Danny had gotten into you would have never dragged him with you. “I’m so sorry”, words just above a whisper fresh tears treated to spill as he tucked your hair behind your ear.

“Sorry for what?”

“Getting you involved in this mess, dragging you around all creation looking for my brother. I should have never…”

“Stop that thought right there.” Resting his hands on either side of your face he forced you to look at him, “I chose to get involved. I am in this with you not because I feel like I have to be, but because I want to be. And now knowing Peabody is involved there is no turning away from this, I’ve got your back.”

Pulling away from his hold you began to pace as fear coiled in your gut, from the information Lonnie had shared the guys who were after your brother weren’t bottom feeders and you figured they weren’t above coming after people attached to your brother; you would be a prime bargaining chip and that meant you put Sweet Pea and Lonnie in danger just by letting you be associated with all of this. “I will never be able to live with myself if something happens to you because of me. Because of Danny. You should have never been put in this position.”

Sweet Pea stood in front of you to stop your pacing, hands gripping your shoulders to keep you still. “If something happens to anyone, it’ll be you. I would bet Penny served Danny up on a silver platter to her boss so what it is stopping them from using you to make him do their bidding. I’m not letting you do this alone anymore so stop trying to push me away.” His large hand came up to cup your cheek, his voice dropping just above a whisper “Just let me help you.”

All you could do was nod as you leaned into his touch, the pleading in his voice making you finally relent. So much had changed between you and Sweet Pea in such a short period of time you weren’t able to fully process it all, but what you did know was that in this moment he was being the rock you didn’t know you needed.

Sweet Pea’s thumb ghosted over your lower lip, the look in his eyes softening as he brought his lips to meet yours. They were warm against yours, the spicy sent of his cologne invading your senses and sending your pulse into overdrive. His hand came to rest at the back of your neck, coaxing you closer as he deepened the kiss. Running your hands up his chest, you responded with fever; the emotions you’d locked down all day finally breaking lose the only way they knew how.

Slipping your hands up across his shoulders you worked the Serpent jacket down his arms, his hold releasing you momentarily to let it fall before his own frantic fingers pulled at the hem of your sweater and left it to join the leather on the floor. Rough hands roamed across your warmed skin, his touch leaving goosebumps in its wake; deafly he maneuvered you against the living room wall, his lips moving the length of your neck to where your pulse beat hard and heavy. Your hands toyed with the buttons of his flannel, the need to get lost in a feeling that wasn’t anxiety or panic taking away the last glimmer of control.

Sweet Pea pulled away to look at you, his chest rising and falling erratically as he stilled your hands; it had been a whirlwind of a day and whatever the next move was he was making sure you were the one that made it.

Hands gripping his you looked up into his dark eyes, “I want to forget today and not worry about tomorrow. Just make me feel something more tonight.”

A smile ghosted across his features as he picked you up, your legs wrapping around his waist he carried you down the hall and towards the bedroom. Neither of you knew what daylight would bring, but for now this was all that you needed.

Sun was peeking through the closed blinds, the light filtering across your face waking you too soon from the much needed rest. Sweet Pea held you close against him, the weight on his arm across your hip had you sighing in contentment. Waking up in his arms never failed to put a smile on your face, the feeling of being protected and cared for a welcome change from your normal.

The few hours of sleep you’d been able to steal had allowed your mind to settle, giving your flustered thoughts the chance to come to terms with what the inevitable outcome of this whole mess would be. It wasn’t an outcome you wanted, but it was something that would be unavoidable. If you kept going down this road you would never have a semblance of a normal life, you’d always be trying to keep something hidden from everyone else and you were tired of it.

The vibration of your phone had you turning towards the nightstand; glassy eyed, you reached for the phone hoping it was Lonnie with some good news. Danny’s number flashing across the screen sent your pulse racing and tension invading your once relaxed muscles; detangling from Sweet Pea’s hold you grabbed his discarded flannel shirt from last night and scurried out of the room to take the call.

“Danny, where have you been! I’ve been trying to find you.” Keeping your voice at a harsh whisper you slipped into the flannel as you padded down the hall and into the kitchen, coffee the next thing you’d need if you were going to be dealing with Danny this early.

“I don’t have time to explain right now, Queenie. I need you to do something for me.”

His tone had you freezing at the counter, “What have you gotten into”

“Some business went bad with some people and now they are after what I owe them.”

“What do you owe them? Who do you owe? Are you with Penny Peabody?”

“How do you know about Penny?” the alarm in his voice meant you’d struck a nerve.

“Don’t worry about that. What are you in with her?”

“This is beyond Penny Peabody, Queenie.”

“What the fuck, Danny. What happened to you just selling dime bags?”

“Would you stop yelling at me for one second and listen. I don’t have a lot of time.”

The tension in his voice had you holding your tongue, “Fine. What do I have to do.”

“There is a small black bag in the back of your trunk, behind the spare tire. I need you to meet me at the Blue Nugget with it.”

“You’ve been letting me drive around with drugs in the back of my car! Are you serious right now…” Anger bubbled in your blood as your brother kept talking, the sheer selfishness of his actions flooring you.

“I promise it’s not drugs, but it was the only place I could think they wouldn’t look.”

“You knew they’d come looking?” Your voice raised an octave in frustration, your brother only digging himself a deeper hole by the minute.

“They hinted at it. But listen to me Queenie. Please. Before you do anything else, I need you to call the Sheriff and let him know I’ve got Barnes and Peabody and as long as he lets me take the deal I was offered by the DA, I’ll make sure he gets them. I need to do this, Queenie. Please help me do this.”

Running a hand through your hair, you weighed your options. If he was telling the truth this would be an easy drop off and you’d be on the clear. He’d do what he had to do, and you could move forward with what was left. If he wasn’t being totally truthful there is a good chance you could end up dead over a few grams of cocaine. “What time do I need to meet you?”

“As soon as possible.”

“Fine. Give me a couple hours. I’ll call you when I get to the lot.”

He seemed to hesitate as if wanting to say more, “Alright. I’ll see you in a bit.”

As the line clicked off you released a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. Your brain told you that this was a horrible idea, that it wasn’t going to end like Danny said it would, but your heart couldn’t just leave him there alone. At the end of the day, he was your brother. Fuck up or not.

“Who was that?” Sweet Pea’s sleepy tone had spinning around at the counter, mind preoccupied with the impending meet up you hadn’t heard him moving around.

“Danny”

You watched Sweet Pea stiffen at the mention of your brother, the glazed morning look fading from his eyes only to be replaced by animosity. “What did he want.”

Turning back to the coffee pot you started measuring out grounds and water, “He needs me to do a favor for him.”

“And what would that favor be?”

Sweet Pea’s question had you stiffening; if you told him what you had to do there would be no way he’d let you out of the trailer, but after everything last night it seemed wrong to leave him out of the loop.

“I have to meet him at the Blue Nugget. Drop something off for him.”

“Drop something off. I’m assuming it is something of the illegal variety?”

Turning from the gurgling coffee pot you hit him with an irritated gaze, “He promised me that if I did this he would take the deal he got offered and get out.”

Sweet Pea came to stand in front of you, reaching into a top cupboard to grab two mugs before hitting you with a skeptical look. “And you believe him?”

“I have to believe him, Sweet Pea.” The hurt in your voice had him softening, placing a chaste kiss on top of your head he nodded in understanding.

“What is your plan?”

“Not totally sure, but I need to make a few phone calls.”

“What time are you supposed to meet him?”

“I told him I needed a couple hours.”

“Then I guess we better get moving.”

Kissing his lips softly you offered him a sad smile. He was keeping his promise to you and it broke you a little to know you were putting him in harm’s way. Grabbing a full mug and a change of clothes from the bag on the couch you made your way back towards the bathroom; you weren’t sure what the protocol was for showing up to the drug drop, but you figured it didn’t hurt to be clean.

Sweet Pea eyed the dingy bar from behind the wheel as you fidgeted in the seat beside him. It’d taken you longer than you’d thought to get plan worked out, Lonnie had to do some sweet talking with Sheriff Keller to get him to go along with it. You’d promised him you wouldn’t make a move before he got there, but it was getting increasingly difficult to just wait around. He’d been hot when you’d called him and informed him of Danny’s request, the notion that you were being used as a pawn in a potentially dangerous game not sitting well with him.

“You sure you want to do this?” Sweet Pea pulled his gaze from the bar to look down at you, his hand resting over yours as the toyed with the lid on your travel mug.

“No, I’m not sure. But I have to.”

The rumbling of an old engine had the two of you climbing from the car as Lonnie pulled up, a few Riverdale police cars following behind at a distance. Danny had parked his Bronco right in the front of the building, the slick BMW belonging to the blonde, who you now know went by Barnes, and another dark windowed SUVs parked right alongside it. If everything went how you hoped Danny would get out unscathed and Riverdale would be free of a few more drug dealers.

Skirting around the back of the car you popped the trunk, Sweet Pea and Lonnie joining you as you reached in for the bag. It was right where he said it would be, a small zipped up duffle settled between the spare tire and back of the trunk. Grabbing the bag without opening it you slammed the trunk shut and turned towards the men, the less you knew about what was in the bag the better.

“You ready, kid?” Lonnie’s blue eyes were hard as they skirted from you to the main door and back again, his reluctance to let you go through with this evident in his demeanor.

“As ready as I can be.”

Sheriff Keller came up alongside your vehicle, suspicious eyes glancing at Sweet Pea before focusing on you. Taking the black duffle from your grasp, he traded it out for one he brought over. “Did you make the call?”

Nodding at the officer you hiked the bag over your shoulder, “He told me to go to the front and knock. Said they’d let me in.”

“You give them the bag and you get out. My guys will handle the rest.” The Sheriff and Lonnie shared a stern look before he turned back to you, “For the record, I am not in favor of you being involved at all. The only reason I am letting this happen is because Lonnie ensured me he’d have eyes on you.” With that, Keller turned and headed towards the cruisers.

“That hallway coming from the back is long and dark, should be an easy place for us to sneak in. Sit just in case something goes haywire.” Sweet Pea’s words had you tensing as you watched the exchange between him and Lonnie.

“No. You guys can’t be in there. What if they see you? It was just supposed to be me.”

“There is no way we are letting you go in alone. So, it’s either this or I walk in the front door with you”, his dark eyes daring you to say otherwise. Lonnie only nodded in concurrence, a cocky grin on his face.

You should have known they would push this, you’d seen Sweet Pea grab the brass knuckles off the counter this morning but hadn’t thought much of it until now. Pulling Sweet Pea down by his dog tags you placed a rough kiss on his lips, “Guess you were serious when you said you had my back.” Without another word you turned on your heel a slight grin on your lips, you had yet to win a battle when Lonnie and Sweet Pea were teamed up.

Relief flooded Danny’s face has he laid eyes on you from the other side of the bar door; his complexion was pale, and it looked like he hadn’t slept in a while, but he looked to be in pretty good shape otherwise.

“You’ve got the bag?”

Raising the bag in question you watched as his features changed, eyes darting from the bag to look over your shoulder at the waiting police cars. Relief was replaced by determination as he looked down at you, “I am so sorry I’ve put you in this position. I never meant for it to get this far.”

“I know Danny.” Despite everything that he had down and all the danger he was putting you in, you didn’t have it in you to hate him like you thought you should. Motioning towards the bar you gave him a questioning glance, “Can we get this show on the road please?” Danny gave you one more uneasy look before stepping aside and letting you into the dingy bar.

Four sets of eyes watched you as you entered the main bar, the tension in the room almost palpable. Barns stood in the center, two men about Lonnie’s size flanking him while Penny Peabody stood over by the bar, sipping from a beer she’d stolen from the cooler.

“Well well well, looks like Danny’s little sister did come through in the end,” Penny’s blue eyes were watching you as left the bar and came to stand with Barnes.

Barnes’s gaze shifted from your brother to the bag in your hand and then to your face, “Let’s hope it’s all there and she didn’t take some for herself.”

Taking the bag from your hand Danny nudged you towards the side door, “She did what you asked. Now she’s free to go. This doesn’t involve her.”

You were only able to make it a few steps before Penny’s bony fingers had a hold of your wrist; pulling you to stand beside her. “How do we know it’s all there? You did screw us over once, what is preventing you from doing it again? And she is your sister after all… maybe the apple doesn’t fall to far from the tree?”

The sly grin on Penny’s face had your reeling back and tugging against her hold, “Let go of me you shrew.”

“Tssk tssk tskk, name calling your elders? What kind of manners are those” Pulling you closer to her you felt the cool touch of metal against your neck. “Open the bag Danny or sis here is going to start looking like a zebra.” Fear coiled around you, no amount of mental preparation had prepared you to be in this position.

“Don’t push her, Danny. You know how unstable Miss Peabody can be.” Barnes’s tone was cold and calculating; the man was here on business, any casualties he lost doing it made no difference to him.

“You lay one more hand on her Penny and I swear to god I’ll finish what Jones started”, Sweet Pea’s baritone voice had the room turning towards the bar. The look in his dark eyes was one you’d never seen before, you imaged it was the same look solders had before they went to war.

“Never thought sneaking around in the shadows was your thing Sweet Pea. Always took you more for an act now and ask questions later sort.” The pressure on your neck increased as Penny pulled the two of you to stand on the other side of barns.

Sweet Pea started to make his way towards you, his advance halted as one of Barnes’s men took hold of him.

Barnes shifted his attention from Sweet Pea to your brother, “Well Danny, now you will have the blood of two youths on your hands if this transaction fails. Care to show me the bag now so I can ensure all my money is there?”

Danny took in the scene around him before unzipping the bag and tossing it on the floor between himself and Barnes, “Count it.”

A wry grin spread across the man’s face as he bent down, a load pop and purple dye covering him as he opened the bag.

You watched as Danny walked with Lonnie towards the cop car, his back straight and head held high; the flashing lights of Keller’s cruiser mirrored on his face as he turned to give you a final smile before loading into the back. You couldn’t remember that last time you’d seen him so relaxed and accepting of what was to come; he may be going back to jail and now you might have to crash at Lonnie’s house instead of your own, but Danny knew for the first time in a long time he did right by you.

All things considered, the bust had gone well. Once the dye bag exploded all over Barnes all hell had broken lose and people went running in all directions. Danny had tackled Barns, leaving them both with black eyes and busted lips from the tussle while Sweet Pea had broken the nose of the big guy that had kept him from reaching you. You had dropped your elbow into Penny’s gut causing her to let you go and make a run for the door; Lonnie took a hard right hook to the jaw when he had come from his hiding spot and tried to stop her. She’d had a bike waiting for her and was in the wind, but they had been able to secure the rest of the crew.

Sweet Pea’s hands snuck around your waste, bruised knuckles pulling you back to rest against his chest, his lips ghosting over the shell of your ear as he spoke. “You really know how to show a guy a good time. Never would have thought we’d be spending a Saturday afternoon in a bar parking lot surrounded by cop cars.”

Turning from the flashing lights you shifted in his hold to look into his dark eyed gaze. “You sure you want to be attached to all this? After everything you’ve dealt with in the past 48 hours?” Sweet Pea just studied you for a moment, lips quirking to the side. You couldn’t blame him if he walked away from all this, protecting your sort of girlfriend during a drug drop wasn’t high on most people’s list of great dates. Even for a Serpent. “This is me buddy, all of it. Drug dealing brother, a bail bondsman as a roommate and a knack for breaking up drug rings. No more pretenses.”

That flirty grin you loved so much spread across Sweet Pea’s features, “What did I say about trying to push me away.”

“I’m just making sure your eyes are wide open before we get in any deeper”, your own mischievous grin gracing your lips.

Sweet Pea’s fingers trailed along the red mark that Penny had left against your neck, jaw clenching slightly before focusing his eyes back on you, “Trust me sweetheart, now that I know what your life is really like there is no way you’ll be able to keep me away.” The kiss he left on your lips had you hoping he was right.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a six part story. There is some talk of drugs, hence the teen rating. I hope you guys enjoy!


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